


Linked Universe Collection

by revenant_hell



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Frightening Imagery, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Mentions of Death, More tags to come as I write more, Swearing, i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:33:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22593688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revenant_hell/pseuds/revenant_hell
Summary: Short LU stories gathered into one place. Ratings/tags to be updated as more are added.1: Hyrule &Wild tell each other how great they are2: "Kasuto" from Zelda 23: Wind takes the group home to Outset4. Time (fluff?)5. Legend Pets Bunnies (serious angst)6. Ganon Who?7. Four and Dot Fluff8: Blacksmith Date (Four&Dot)9: Shadow & Time
Comments: 66
Kudos: 446





	1. Unworthy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Hyrule & Wild for ya.

_What would you say, if you could tell them you were afraid?_

Hyrule couldn't help letting a sigh escape as he tried furiously to calm his mind. On the outside he was relaxed; reclining on a log, watching his brothers practice their swordsmanship in the bright sun, seemingly ignorant of what faced them tomorrow. But the inside of his head was a roiling mass, jumping from one thought to the next, never fixed in one spot for long. Something flowed consistently beneath his thoughts, though: fear. 

He had to admit it. Didn't want to admit it. He was afraid of what was to come.

Hyrule rolled onto his back and held his left hand up to the sky to cast a shadow over his face. He could still see the Triforce etched faintly into his skin, that golden stigmata that had marked the end of what he might have called "peace." He'd had a taste of it, once; save the kingdom, settle down, help them rebuild. But then the Triforce had appeared, Ganon's minions agitated for his resurrection, and Hyrule had dutifully set forth once more across the ruined land. But there was no peace waiting for him at the end, not this time. He may have "won," whatever that meant,. but Ganon's minions would never rest. They would forever seek out his blood to for the ashes of their master. The constant attacks had only ended when he'd chosen step through that strange portal and met the rest of the group; but even now, he slept with his lantern and a small knife.

He clenched his fist. The Triforce shone, still bright against the light of the sun. 

A loud shout jolted Hyrule from his reverie and he rolled to a sitting position, instinctively reaching for his sword. A quick glance told him there were no monsters, just rising tempers. He rested his chin on one hand as he watched Sky and Twilight furiously hammer at each other, moving so quickly it was hard to keep track of where they were. Twilight was stronger, he mused, but it was clear that Sky's expert training gave him the upper hand. Even in a fight he moved elegantly, as though gravity held no power over him. Hyrule watched, fascinated, as the two circled each other, swords flashing and ringing out when they collided. They'd tried to get him to join in, but he'd politely refused; sure, he could hold his own in a fight, if he could do it his way, if he could throw in some magic and high jumps. But he was no match in an out-and-out sword fight. He knew it. They knew it. But they kept trying to include him anyway.

Hyrule groaned and rubbed at his eyes. He wasn't cut out for this. Not like any of them, with their shining swords, their gleaming armor, their poise. No, he was just a humble traveler, making do with what he had. It was a miracle he'd even _found_ Ganon, let alone beaten him. Dumb luck and some grit had gotten him pretty far. 

Much as he didn't want to, he let his gaze wander to the hill where the castle stood. In real life it looked much as it did in his dreams: dark, corrupted, rotting. Oh, he knew what awaited him there. They all did. The difference was, they weren't _cowards _about it. Hyrule looked back to the rest of the group. They'd faced far worse things than he; Time had fought the _moon _for Hylia's sake! And yet he stood relaxed, supervising Sky and Twilight with an air of faint amusement. Behind them, Wild and Wind sparred with wooden swords. Warriors was teaching Wind a new spin attack, and Wild was acting as the guinea pig for Wind to practice on. Hyrule watched impassively as Wild dodged Wind's swipes with a grace he could only _dream_ of matching, occasionally allowing a hit to land as a means of encouragement. He didn't get it. Wild had literally _died _to save the kingdom, yet still claimed to be a failure. But his scars told his story, the fact that they covered a _living_ body a testament to his success. He would face Ganon - _had_ faced Ganon - over, and over, and over, if that's what it took.

Not Hyrule. He wanted nothing more than to run away. To go back to being a simple man, one who didn't bear the fate of the world on his back. Who didn't have to worry about being the last thing standing against the world descending into darkness. But in the end, duty always called him to pick up that blade once more.

"Ow! _Shit!" _Hyrule glanced up to see Wild holding his nose, dancing back out of the reach of Wind's sword. "Got you!" Wind cried jubilantly.

"Hey now, we should make sure he's okay," Warriors chided, but Hyrule could see the pride in his eyes. Wind nodded and ran over, but Wild waved him off.

"I'm fine, you just got me good. Had that been a real sword you would've taken me out. Great job!" They high-fived and Wild politely excused himself from practice to come sit next to Hyrule.

"Oh my gosh, Wild, are you okay? Here, let me take care of that..." Hyrule said as he conjured up some of his healing magic. Wild tried to wave him off but Hyrule would not be deterred. "Let me do it. You'll need to be at full strength tomorrow."

"Yeah, okay..." Wild shrugged. They sat together in silence, watching the show continue. Time had joined Warriors and Wind, demonstrating some advanced technique that had Wind engrossed. Impossibly, Twilight and Sky were still at it.

"Hey Wild, can I ask you something?" The words tumbled out before Hyrule could stop himself. He mentally cursed as Wild turned to face him, eyebrows raised in a question. The _last_ thing he needed was for the _Champion_ to think less of him with his dumb rambling.

"What is it? Whatever you need, Hyrule." Wild smiled, face open and earnest. Hyrule watched him for a moment before turning back to the fight. 

"How did you do it? Face Ganon, I mean." He hurried on when he saw the confusion on Wild's face. "I mean, I know I did too. But how did you make yourself do it again? After the... the first time?" he squeaked. Wild paused for a long moment before speaking. 

"I mean... I didn't. I didn't fight Ganon the first time, Hyrule, I failed before I even got there." Wild said matter-of-factly.

"That's not true!" Hyrule jumped to his feet in agitation. "You didn't _fail_, Wild, you literally _died _protecting Princess Zelda!"

Wild raised an eyebrow. "Hyrule, Zelda saved herself when she activated her powers. _She _took me to the resurrection shrine. I didn't do anything. _You're_ the one who saved the kingdom from Ganon twice. And you actually took him down the first time."

"No, you - " Hyrule shook his head in frustration. "You're the _champion, _Wild, you're one of our best fighters, it took _that much _to take you down, and - look," he sighed and sat down heavily next to Wild. "I'm sorry. I'm just not a great hero like you."

"Hyrule -" Wild began, but Hyrule kept going. Now that he'd started the words wouldn't stop flowing.

"How did you fight him _again_, Wild? I'm afraid. I don't want to do it again. I don't know _how_ to do it again." He gestured at his left hand, still shining with the light of the goddesses. "I don't want this."

Wild blinked, then scooted closer to Hyrule. They sat quietly again until Wild burst out.

"Hyrule... I don't get where this is coming from! You taking down Ganon - twice - is even more impressive _because _you were just a traveler. You've told us, you were just a kid the first time, and you did it all alone! And when the kingdom needed you, you stood up for her again." He caught Hyrule by surprise by grabbing his left hand to point to the Triforce. "This shows you have courage, Hyrule. It's _okay _to be afraid. You think I'm not?" Wild shook his head and gestured out at the battlefield. "You think _Time's_ not afraid? We all are. And that's okay."

"I..." Hyrule frowned. "But -"

"Don't 'but' me, Hyrule, 'cause I don't agree with whatever you're about to say," Wild grinned and punched his shoulder. _Ow. _Wild hit hard, even jokingly. "You're out here risking your life for the greater good."

"Yeah, but... Well, I don't agree either," Hyrule sighed, but he couldn't help a swell of pride. "Well, don't tell me you're a failure, then!"

"But -"

"If _I'm_ a hero, then _you _can't be a failure. We both beat Ganon, right?"

"I ... um... hmm." Wild grumbled before giving up. "Let's just agree to disagree."

"I guess we will," Hyrule smirked back. He felt lighter already.

Wild laughed as he bounded to his feet. "Well, 'Mr. Hero,' want to get some sparring in? Looks like Wind is ready to take us down." 

Hyrule smiled and followed Wild into the grass. Whatever tomorrow brought, he was ready for it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little thing that popped into my head today. Wild and Hyrule both think they're not worthy, but they'll be damned if they'll let the other one say something like that about themselves.
> 
> I welcome your feedback. Thanks for reading!


	2. Kasuto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mentions of death, graveyards, pain, and scary visuals. No explicit gore.
> 
> Remember the abandoned village of Kasuto from Zelda 2, where invisible enemies hurt you, and then you run off to a mysterious graveyard? Yeah.

_"WE HAD TO FLEE KASUTO."_

The villager's words echoed in his head, causing him to shiver despite the warm sun. _Kasuto_. A name said only in whispers. What had happened there, to frighten the people so?

It was nothing, he told himself. Ordinary people were scared of everything. Spiders. Monsters. The _dark_, even. Nothing to worry about; he'd seen worse. Done worse. Yet he still paused when he came to the sign. _Welcome to Kasuto!_ it said cheerfully. 

He'd already been here, just a few days before. Searching for something, anything, to help him in his quest against Ganon, no matter how small. He could tell immediately something was off. The entire village was... empty. As if everyone had just stood up and walked out the door in the middle of what they were doing. Dinners remained on tables, untouched and withering to dust. Coats hung neatly on their hooks. A child's toy remained where it had had been dropped, smiling at the sun.

He'd walked carefully through the town. No, there was no one here, just the wind blowing dust into the deserted homes, their doors standing open like gaping mouths. Their windows open, staring eyes; no time to close the shutters. No blood, no signs of struggle, no people. No life. But the strangest thing kept happening; pain. Tiny, unexpected pinpricks, just enough to catch him off guard every time. There, again. He glanced down at his hand, but he wasn't bleeding. There were no cuts, no bruises. Just a sharp jab that faded so quickly you almost forgot about it.

On their own, they were nothing, but a thousand paper cuts add up. He soon found himself fatigued, exhausted even, draining through his healing magic just to stay upright. _This won't work,_ he thought as he dragged his feet through the dusty earth, wincing as another small spear pierced his hand. _If I stay here, I'll just be worn down by... whatever this is. A curse? One of Ganon's tricks?_ It was impossible to tell, and anyway, there was nothing for him here. So he left without looking back. A part of him knew it was better not to know.

Yet here he found himself again, this time with no choice but to proceed. _The old man who remains has magic, _went the rumors in New Kasuto. Oh yes, they had fled... those who had survived. No one would tell him what happened. No one knew; no one wanted to. They wanted to move on and forget. An old woman pressed the cross into his hand and whispered that it would help him see. He didn't want to see. He didn't want to know. He didn't want to be here to start with, in this wasteland of a town, in this husk of a world.

And yet, as always, his heart led him where his head did not want to go and his feet followed. The Triforce called; he alone was worthy, and who was he to ignore the command of the goddesses?

He left the sign behind and continued to the town, gripping the cross tightly, its surface slick with sweat. He had seen worse, right? He'd fought the beast himself in the darkness. So why did his hand that held the cross shake? Why did he hesitate? It was nothing. He was stronger than this. And so he entered.

At first, it seemed that nothing had changed. The village remained vacant and white like a corpse drained of blood - _stop it_, he told himself, _don't think like that_. But it was true; the life of the village had seeped away, leaving only a dried husk. The pain hadn't returned either, a good sign. But then - he saw the gleam out of the corner of his eye and turned sharply. Nothing. He resumed walking and - there! In the doorway. Small and bright, shining in the shadows. Eyes, and he met them now, his own wide with fear.

And then they flowed out of the houses like a stream of stars, small, glittering things. _Fairies_, he realized, relief flooding his limbs. Fairies held healing and hope; how many times had they brought him back as he laid at death's door, cursing Ganon's cruelty? "Hey," he said weakly, holding out a shaking arm for them to alight on. They chittered and fluttered their glowing wings as they crawled over his body; hundreds of them, swarming out of the buildings to blanket the dull earth with light.

But then their smiles turned to savage grins, and he could see that their kind teeth were sharpened to points, eager to devour, and he knew they brought not healing but pain. He stood frozen as they met him with tiny stings, eager to rend and tear; he knew now that they had been here the whole time, waiting for their meal to return. But though his skin was unharmed, he felt the life draining from his body as the fairies encircled him. He wanted to fight back, but his limbs were heavy, weighted with lead; and he was so _tired_, he thought, falling numbly to his knees, all he wanted to do was _rest_. And was this so bad, really? Better to let the adventure end here, fading peacefully into the dark, instead of the violent end he knew waited for him in the dark palace.

Distantly he saw someone approach the swarm, gaunt and withered, yet standing tall. He watched dispassionately as an old man held out a hand and lightning burst forth, scattering the creatures. The old man was before him now; his lightning filled his field of vision; his ears rung with the shrill cries of the sprites.

_"The town is dead, Hyrule. Look east in the woods."_ The old man said in a deep rumble like an incantation.

_But I'm not Hyrule, not then. Then I was ... _

"Link," he whispered, and life flowed back into his veins. His skin felt raw and charred but when he looked, it was whole and untouched.

_"Link you were then, but no longer. To the East, Hyrule,"_ the old man said, and was gone in a flash. The fairies, freed, rushed towards him once more.

Hyrule didn't wait for them to come to him. He ran, his dusty footprints quickly swept away by the swarm. They poured out of the doorways and windows but were caught at the threshold of town, unable to cross. They piled and scrambled over one another, nails scratching at the framed gate. Their screams faded as he raced into the woods without stopping. He ignored the minions of Ganons that emerged from dark to chase him, hurling weapons and howls that missed him by a wide margin.

_Hyrule_, he thought. _Yes, that's who I am now. But when I did this, I was Link. Hyrule the person doesn't exist, not yet. What's going on?_

He stumbled and almost fell, casting a jump spell at the last second to clear the gaping hole in the ground. He landed hard on his knees, and glanced around to see that he had arrived in the graveyard. Oh, yes, he had known that pit in the ground; it led to an early grave with Ganon's forces. So he _had_ been here before. What, then, was this now?

The sky darkened while he ran, and now the clouds tore open to unleash a blinding rain. His soaked clothes clung to him and he staggered, looking for something, anything to free him from this torment. He stumbled again and fell against a headstone, rough against his skin. Hyrule slowly raised his head; he knew what he'd see, and yet, he looked anyway.

_LINK_

Yes, his name, but it was no longer his alone to claim. _LINK_, repeated nine times. Nine times, for nine deaths, a year carved to accompany each one. He couldn't tell which was which, which was his own, but did it matter? They were all destined to leave this world for the next, some more peacefully than others. He hoped. He reached out and touched the earliest, once carefully cut but too faded to read; the last, fresh, rough, carved by unskilled hands. _Link._

_It's a dream, then,_ he thought, feeling a mix of relief and fear. _Just a dream, right?_ he thought harder as he heard the whisper of footsteps behind him. _When I wake up, it'll all be okay._

"Link..." they whispered. "Hyrule...." the voices cried out a eulogy, his names blending until he couldn't separate who he was then from who he was now. He knew those voices. Time, Wild, Legend... His friends. His brothers.

_Don't turn around,_ he thought furiously as the voices slithered closer. _Wake up._ Hands, reaching for him, catching in his hair. _Wakeupwakeupwakeup_

* * *

Something soft touched his face.

Hyrule shot up, lurching forward with the knife that he always kept hidden in his bag - but he found himself face-to-face with Wolfie. They both sat frozen, staring into each other's wide eyes for seconds that stretched into a lifetime. Finally, Wolfie gave a soft whine and nudged the hand that held the blade.

Hyrule slowly pulled the knife away, trying to hide his shaking hand. On top of that dream, he'd almost killed Wolfie, who was just trying to help. "Sorry, buddy," he whispered as he reached out to tentatively pat the beast's head. Wolfie wagged his tail gently; Hyrule could see forgiveness in those soft eyes.

He looked past Wolfie to see Wild staring openly at him from by the fire, his hand gripping a wooden spoon far more tightly than was necessary. Thankfully, the rest of the camp was asleep. "Just a dream," he called quietly. Wild shared a look with Wolfie before he nodded and turned back to stirring whatever he had on the fire. "Just a dream," Hyrule whispered to himself, settling back into his blankets. His skin still burned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally a livewrite on the LU discord; made some pretty significant changes when editing. Hope you've enjoyed! I appreciate your feedback. Also going to try to not write about Hyrule _ again_ for the next one.... maybe. 
> 
> P.S., if you've never played Zelda 2, give it a go - it's fun!


	3. Going Home/Growing Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to write some Wind fluff (but inevitably some conflict found its way in there). Oops.  
Warning: swear words

_It was good to be home. _Wind took a deep breath and felt his face break open into a grin at the fresh salt air.

They'd _finally_ gotten to his world - you couldn't really call it his "Hyrule," not with that being underwater and all. He threw a quick glance at Time- he'd tell him about that _later,_ no use upsetting the poor guy, not when you'd have to tell him that the goddesses had drowned everything to prevent Ganondorf from rising, which he did anyway, and _then_ -

Nope, definitely getting ahead of himself. Hard talks could come later. For now, it was great to just be back on the _ocean,_ the wind in his hair, the spray of the sea hitting his face as his boat bounced across the waters like it was flying. His heart leapt with joy at the crest of every wave. No, there was no better feeling of freedom in the world. Now his _crew,_ on the other hand...

Wind prowled back across the deck and surveyed the others, raising one eyebrow in an unconscious imitation of the Hero of Time. Oh yeah, his crew needed some work. He gave a quick count, _One, two... eight._ Great. No one had gone overboard, although Four looked like he was thinking about it, with how he was flinching every time the boat hit the water. Wind gave a nod of appreciation to Sky, who was up at the very front of the boat with his arms held out, eyes closed. Probably pretending he was flying. And they weren't that different after all, were they? The sea, too, could be fatal if you fell.

Hyrule sat nearby, fiddling absently with a pile of ropes. "Hey Hyrule, how're you doing?" Wind called, but the traveler just shrugged absently. Wind frowned. "You feeling seasick?"

"No... well, maybe just a little," Hyrule said, and rubbed the back of his neck. He blanched as the boat hit a particularly large wave. "Hmm..." Wind murmured and looked around. He was pretty sure he had _something_ tucked away to help with that, somewhere...

Legend stomped over and frowned at them both. "What's going on? Is he okay?" 

"I'm fine-" Hyrule started. "He's seasick!" Wind cried, but Legend's frown deepened at Hyrule's expression.

"Don't go making fun of him, Wind," he scolded, sitting down heavily next to Hyrule on the deck. 

"I wasn't -" Wind started, but Legend was already talking to Hyrule and digging around in his bag.

"It's okay, I've got something for you here."

"Thanks, Leg. I feel pretty dumb. It's not like I've never been on the ocean before...." Hyrule mumbled sheepishly.

Legend crossed his arms and shrugged nonchalantly. "It's no big deal. I personally _hate_ the damn ocean. Did I ever tell you about the time ..."

Hyrule was clearly in good hands, so Wind left them to it, slightly annoyed. Legend could be _so _overprotective sometimes!

He continued his tour around the boat, pausing to chat with Warriors as he sat polishing his armor, complaining that all the salt in the air was taking away its shine. Wind shrugged - big, heavy armor wasn't the _best_ choice on the open water, where one wrong move would send you swiftly sinking to a watery grave. But _that _didn't stop the hero of Time, he thought as he left Warriors behind to join Time and Twilight where they stood beneath the ship's mast, staring upwards with worried expressions. Nope, Time still wore his shiny golden armor, even heavier than Warriors' was. He'd pushed back on it when they'd first boarded the boat - after all, a captain is responsible for the safety of his crew - but Time had laughed and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm a good swimmer," he'd said, ending with that mysterious smile that said he knew more than he was letting on. Wind didn't like it, but he couldn't very well argue with him, not to say someone who was practically a _myth_ in his world. Man, what was Time going to think when he heard the tales and saw that they'd spent centuries telling his story? Some of them had been updated to include Wind himself (which he personally felt was kinda awkward) but there was no denying that _everyone_ here knew the story of the Hero of Time. Of course they would.

The Hero of Twilight, on the other hand, was probably gonna drown with all that fur on, but he refused to take it off. _Whatever_, thought Wind. How was he not roasting, anyway?

"Hey guys," he said. "Hey," they responded in unison, tearing their eyes from the mast with effort. Goddesses, those two were really alike, weren't they?

"You lose Wild?" Wind asked with a grin. He didn't have to guess to know that Wild would inevitably seek out the highest, most dangerous place to be, and give Time and Twilight a few gray hairs.

"Nah, he's up there," Twilight gestured with a dramatic sigh. "You know Wild, got no common sense when it comes to heights..." Next to him, Time snorted and crossed his arms. 

"I'll go see what he's up to," Wind said as he hopped on the rigging and started to climb.

"Wind, stop, that's dangerous!" he heard Warriors shout from below. "My ship, my rules, 'Captain!' " he called back with a laugh. He ignored Warriors' indignant huff as he climbed higher, higher, higher, until every gentle rock of the boat was transformed into a disconcerting sway. He'd left seasickness behind a long time ago, on a smaller boat; he'd seen too many storms, gales, you name it. This was nothing.

Ah, but this boat was still quite a change from the King of Red Lions, huh? A part of him missed the early days; just the two of them, out on a grand adventure at sea, with no idea what tomorrow had waiting for them. But the King had found himself peace at last, and Wind wasn't about to take that away. Besides, the _King of Red Lions III_ (the second one had an accident involving Wild and fire) was pretty nice all on its own, and he had his new friends to pack into it. Still, he wished they all could've met him. Then maybe Wild would understand the kind of choices a king had to make.

Speaking of... He found the other hero near the top, gazing distantly out to sea. For a moment Wind thought he might be having another memory again; the sea stirred up feelings in _everyone_. He was about to call out when Wild spoke.

"So this is your world, huh? I didn't expect it to be so _empty_," Wild said, pointing at an island far off in the distance. "I mean, mine's very similar - it can take days to get anywhere on horseback, but at least I could hunt down some food nearby. Out here, it's just you and what you've brought." He twisted to face Wind, ignoring the fall far below. "I had no idea!"

"Oh, thanks, Wild!" Wind grinned, his face reddening slightly. The Champion, master of the wild, complimenting _his_ survival skills? "You just have to know how to pack!"

"No, really," Wild said earnestly. "And storms, and enemies, and you did it all by yourself! And you were so young!"

"Ah, no, not really," Wind mumbled. He hated when they brought up his age. "I wasn't alone, you know, I had my boat -" he said to change the subject.

"Ah, yeah, I know, you seafaring types personify your boats. It's kind of strange, but who am I to-"

"No, actually, he could talk -"

_"Land ho!"_ Wild cried suddenly, startling Wind from his perch. He nearly fell off the rigging in surprise. Far below, he could see Legend cross his arms and roll his eyes simultaneously, a classic move that meant something sarcastic was on its way.

"You don't _actually_ have to say that, you know. We're all well aware." he called. Wild only laughed.

"I know, I know, but I've always wanted to do it!" Wind snorted as he cautiously untangled himself and started the long climb down back to the deck. 

Once he was back on a stable surface, Wind pulled out his telescope, smiling at the worn seagulls etched into its surface. It was a gift from his sister on that fateful birthday, the one that started this whole adventure, and he couldn't bear to get rid of it, no matter how cracked and worn it got. He put the scope to his eye and gasped as the cliffs of Outset Island filled the viewfinder. His heart beat a little faster in his chest but he quickly blinked away the a few small tears before the others could see. _Home. _How long had it been? He'd left when he was twelve, and now he was almost fourteen - wait...

Wind groaned and smacked his forehead. Not _almost _fourteen, he _was _fourteen! He'd forgotten his own birthday yesterday! Well, he never had a great track record with these things anyway. Besides, he thought, patting the little pouch at his side, he hadn't forgotten Aryll's, and that was the most important thing.

The others chatted among themselves as Wind expertly maneuvered their boat, bringing it to rest in the shallow docks on his side of town. And there it was: Grandma's house! She'd probably have soup waiting for them, like she always did for Wind when he came home from an adventure, tired and hungry, and just needing a hug and someone to tell him it would be okay - Wind stopped himself there as he cleared his throat a s he turned to face the others. He was older now, too old for that kind of talk. Besides, you didn't see someone like _Time_ or _Warriors_ crying for their mom, did you? He frowned. Did the rest of them even have parents? He wasn't sure. It seemed there were some things that were still too painful to talk about.

"Okay," he started, trying to ignore when Wild skipped the last ten feet of rope and jumped; thankfully he didn't land on anyone, but the others all turned to check if he was all right. "_Okay,_" he repeated, clearing his throat, and eventually everyone's eyes were back on him - most of them, anyway - _whatever. _"Well, we're here!" Wind said with a grin. "This is Outset Island, where I grew up, and you're gonna meet my Grandma, and - "

"_LIIIIIIIINK!!!!"_

This time, he didn't mind the interruption.

"_Aryll!"_ he cried and jumped right over the side of the boat into the shallow water, not caring that he was now drenched to his knees. The two ran to each other, colliding in a giant pile of hugs and laughter. "Big brother, you've gotten so _tall!"_ Aryll said with amazement.

Wind laughed and ruffled her hair. "And _you've _stayed short!" he said as Aryll pretended to be indignant and swatted his hand away. She looked past him to the ship, where eight heroes looked on with smiles on their faces.

"Who's that? They all look just like -" 

"I'll explain when we get to Grandma's house, okay? I don't want to explain it twice," he said, motioning for one of them to set down the gangplank. He and Aryll circled up to the dock and joined the others in unloading the ship. "Everyone, this is my sister Aryll," Wind said. 

At once they all started chattering and introducing themselves. Aryll curtsied graciously with wide eyes; Wind could see that she was star-struck and overwhelmed by the group of heroes, with their armor and swords and shields and imposing height and (some of them) perfect hair. "Why don't you go make sure Grandma's ready for us?" he whispered in her ear.

Aryll nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna go help grandma. Bye!" 

Everyone watcher her run away down the beach. "Wow, that was your sister? She looks _just_ like you!" Hyrule said.

"Yeah, but she's _way_ nicer," Legend smirked. Wind chuckled.

"She _looks_ nice, but don't make her mad! Then she's scarier than the old man!" he said with a wink.

"Hey, now -" Time started but Wind interrupted him.

"Okay, crew, let's get this boat unloaded!"

* * *

The group piled into the house, mindful of the short ceilings. Yet even with all of them packed inside, Grandma's house never felt cramped - just cozy.

Wind suddenly felt nervous. He thought about Aryll's comment - yes, he _had_ grown taller, hadn't he? Older. Rougher, more scars, more callouses. Time and travel had changed him; he wasn't the boy sitting around watching the clouds. 

But then they turned the corner, and there was Grandma. She hadn't changed a bit: hair still piled high in a white bun, face creased from years of smiles, eyes crinkled with kindness. "Link!" she cried, and all of his concerns were forgotten. "Link, my sweet child, you're home!" He dropped his things where he stood and ran forward. They hugged, and he was ten again, sitting in Grandma's kitchen eating a snack after a long day playing outside; being tucked into bed with a kiss on the forehead; giggling with Aryll after the lights were turned out. 

"And who are these fine young men?" The moment was over. Wind introduced the rest of the group, careful to avoid being too specific. The world didn't need to know that the legendary Hero of Time was actually on their little island.

"Thank you for having us in your home, ma'am." Time bowed low. The group all looked either nervous or nostalgic, Wind couldn't tell. Four looked contemplative, and Wind wondered if he was thinking of his own grandfather smith, tending the forges back home all alone. Wild looked - well, what familial moment _didn't_ bring something sad to the surface for Wild? He was glad to see that Twilight had a hand resting on his shoulder.

"Oh, you're too sweet. Come in, come in, it's dinner time," Grandma said, oblivious to the subtle dynamics taking place. They carefully set their stuff down and were seated at a table piled high with food only moments later.

Dinner started out okay. Four was telling Aryll some fantastical story about strange little creatures that only children could see. It was the most animated Wind had ever seen him, and most of the others were engaged, too. Time and Twilight were listening with serious faces as Grandma told them about increased attacks on nearby islands by strange sea creatures that had never been seen before. Wild was puzzling over his dinner, trying to figure out what was in it, but Wind knew with confidence that this was _one _recipe that Wild wouldn't be able to surpass.

He gasped when Aryll brought up the seagulls, and the whole table turned to him with concerned expressions. "No, I'm fine! It's just that I almost forgot - " he said, digging around in his pouch until he found the tiny metal object inside. "Here, Aryll. Happy birthday," he said, passing it across the table to his sister.

Aryll gasped as the present made its way around the table to her. She held it up to the light; a metal pendant in the shape of a seagull, delicately sculpted in the style of the myths of old. Four beamed with pride beside her; he'd made it at Wind's request.

"Wow! Thank you so much, big brother!" Aryll said, eyes wide. "I'll always think of you when I wear this, no matter how far away you are." Across the table, Wind could see Time's hand go to his wedding band, a soft smile on his face. "But," Aryll continued with a guilty expression, "Big brother, I didn't know you'd be here so I ... I didn't get you anything for your birthday yesterday. I'm sorry."

"It's okay - " Wind started, but he was cut off when the whole table erupted. "What do you mean it was your birthday, Wind?" "Why didn't you tell us?" "Wait, how old even _are _you?"

"Guys," Wind interrupted, waving his hands to quiet them. "Guys, it's okay. I actually forgot, with everything we had going on."

"You forgot your own birthday." That was Four, deadpan, raising one eyebrow. "Yes...?" Wind said carefully.

Aryll gave a high pitched giggle from across the table. "Oh you never change, big brother. I remember when I got kidnapped by that giant bird, I went to the lookout to wake you up, and you didn't even remember it was your birthday then, either!"

"I -"

"You slept through your own birthday? Who does _that _sound like?" Warriors said, giving Sky a nudge. Sky laughed.

"Oh, Link, you used to sleep all day if I let you," Grandma said sweetly. Wind felt his ears redden.

"Ah, you island boys are all the same," Legend scoffed. "So soft. Don't do anything but sleep all day and pick coconuts."

"I didn't know ya were a small town kid, Wind," Twilight added with a well-intentioned smile.

"I -" Wind started, but the table had moved on to other topics. He felt the anger building, a sour pit in his stomach, and he suddenly had no appetite. He stared bitterly at the remains of his meal, thinking of past conversations. _You're the last people I ever thought I'd have to prove myself to. _They'd talked about this. He was a hero too; he'd _earned_ the Triforce of courage, defeated Ganon, sailed across the ocean by himself. And here he still found himself the butt of jokes.

"Are you okay, sweetie? Did you not like your dinner?" Wind jerked back to attention. Grandma was smiling sweetly at him from across the table.

"No, Grandma, it was great. Thanks so much. I missed this," Wind said and forced a smile. He couldn't be mad, not here, not when he was home for the first time in years, with his grandma and his little sister. He wasn't going to let this ruin it. "I'm going to get started on dishes, okay?"

"Thanks, dear," his grandma said. Wild seized this opportunity to ask what earth was in that soup, he _really _needed that recipe.

Wind looked over the table, a chorus of "thank you!" echoing as he collected their plates. No, he knew they didn't mean anything by it. He knew they just wanted to protect him; when they looked at him, they saw a younger brother, a kid, someone they failed to protect in a past life. But it still stung.

* * *

He walked around the island in the dark, just like he did as a kid. At night, the water grew calm and dark, reflecting the infinity of the night sky. He wasn't concerned with infinity back then; there was too much to find here on Outset, too many caves to explore, cliffs to climb, pretending to be pirates in the shallow coves. Outset had seemed so big, he thought as he climbed to the top of the platform - _Aryll's lookout - _and stood staring out over the sea. The island hadn't changed, but he had. 

He stood that way for a long time, just breathing in the salt air. He knew he should probably go back. This was the only night they were spending here; tomorrow they were off to another island to find the source of the mysterious sea creatures. He should maximize his time with Aryll and Grandma. But it was nice to have a few minutes alone.

He heard the sound of someone climbing up the ladder behind him. Wind sighed. So much for solitude. "I don't want to talk right now."

"Okay." It was Sky. "Mind if I just sit here?"

"Sure..." Wind muttered. They remained like that for some time. But Sky was always _so _easy to read; despite his relaxed, careless attitude, Wind could feel his relentless shifting and tension without even looking. 

"Did they send you to talk to me?" Wind asked, breaking the silence at last.

"No," Sky said without elaborating. Wind turned to see that he was laying on his back, arms crossed behind his head. He joined him, and together they watched the clouds that drifted aimlessly to cover the moon.

"What do I have to do, Sky," Wind said suddenly, "to get you guys to treat me like a _goddamn adult?" _His voice cracked with anger on those last words. He felt a little bad when Sky flinched next to him. No, he wasn't gonna feel bad. He was sick and tired of being treated like he was a kid. Like he wasn't their equal.

Sky remained silent, which only infuriated him more. So he was being ignored, too. Wind felt his face heat up and had just sucked in air to ask him again when Sky spoke.

"Did I ever tell you, Wind, that I was voted the 'laziest knight in Skyloft?'" Sky asked in a pleasant, neutral tone. Wind's anger was slowly replaced by confusion.

"Uh... No. What? Was this before you were named the Chosen One and beat them up?"

"No. This was afterwards." Sky rolled to sit up right, cross-legged, resting his chin on one hand. He gazed down at Wind, and for once, his face did not hold a smile. Wind was shocked to see a spark of anger in his normally placid eyes.

"Sky -"

"You're right, Wind. I literally defeated the incarnation of hatred itself, and I still let them push me around. It was easier that way, I said. _I'm used to it._ No point in causing a scene." Wind sat up, and they stared at each other in the dark. "You're right, Wind. I should have stood up for you back there. They didn't mean it - no one ever does - but it still hurts just the same, doesn't it?" 

"Yeah," Wind agreed, "it does. Well... thanks. That means a lot."

"It doesn't mean anything unless I do something. I will talk to them about it. And I'll - I'll say something next time." Sky stood up and looked at him squarely. "I'm sorry, Wind. You're a hero, too, and you deserve that respect. The goddesses know you've earned it."

Wind blinked. "I..." He paused. He wanted to stay angry, but the King of Red Lion's words echoed in his head. _This is the only world your ancestors were able to leave you._

They looked out over the peaceful night. _Please, forgive us._

"I'm not asking you to forgive me," Sky said as though reading his thoughts. "Anyway...we should probably get back. Your grandma was asking for you. She's very sweet, Wind."

Wind laughed and jumped to his feet. He held out one hand in a high five. "Awesome. Well, fuck the negativity, right?"

Sky turned red. "Yeah. F-fuck that....?" he said hesitantly, but gave Wind an enthusiastic high five. Wind laughed and shoved him off the lookout into the water below, then jumped in after with a joyful yell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept picturing Medli instead of Aryll while writing this! She's a different person, Wind's sister is not a bird!  
I was watching a play through of Skyward Sword and was struck by some of the similarities between that and the Wind Waker (themes of growth, maturity, learning to stand on your own). I'd like to explore that a little more someday.
> 
> I welcome your feedback!


	4. The Future Was Dark But He Held A Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I made the mistake of reading UbiquitousSpontaneities' _A Reflection; or, Home is a Strange Word_ (check it out, y'all) and listening to The Decemberists' _And the King is Dead_ and this flew out. I literally wrote this and posted it in a short time, but I hope you enjoy.
> 
> A bit of scene setting: Jojo stated that after the story is over, everyone goes back...

The journey was over. He was home.

Time paused to look out over his farm, resting the bag of feed he was hauling on his hip. Home, where the grain waved tall at harvest-time and a warm meal waited by the hearth. Though his was a life of a hero; summoned in a time of crisis, returning victorious, battered, and bruised, to settle in and nurse his wounds, ready for the next adventure. It was a cycle, one he was well versed in.

Ah, but this time had been different, hadn't it? He'd met his past, his future, and those somewhere in between. He knew how it all started, and how it would end.

Yet it hadn't really ended, had it? Time thought, hefting the bag onto his shoulder and continuing on toward the barn. At the end of it all, a new world would rise from the ashes, with that kid at the helm. Time felt his heart swell with pride; he'd do a fine job.

And what of his own life? He looked towards the house, where Malon was cursing and herding the cuccoos about. Yes, his future held a family; he still treasured that day, warm in his heart, when he'd introduced Malon to their descendant. The joy they shared, knowing that a family was in their future. The chill, when that same kid had told him what his _own_ future held: a dark century spent wandering as a lost spirit.

Yet was the future really so set in stone? 

Time swore as his foot slipped in the wet earth. He landed hard, the feed falling from his grasp to spill on the ground. Time closed his eyes and inhaled, the crisp spring air cooling his anger as he carefully climbed to his feet. Yes, he was grateful for the mud; for the spring brought with it new beginnings. 

His journey did not end with this life, he knew. He couldn't be there to protect them all from the consequences of his time, and some of them would pay for his mistakes. But he knew them now to be capable. They would rise up and take the sword of their own accord.

And he'd be there. He'd be there for that young farm hand, raw and uncertain, and help him become the hero he was meant to be. 

But this time, it would be his choice. Not a life of regret, but one of love. Seasons of joy to carry him through that dark winter while he waited for the next hero to heed Hylia's call. Time smiled quietly as he put the feed away and turned back towards the house. Malon waved at him from atop the hill, her hair a fiery red that contrasted against the blue sky like the leaves in fall.

There were still wars to fight, kingdoms to save, people to protect. And he knew their future was a dark one.

But today, just for today, he let himself feel peace. And he hoped that wherever the rest of them were, they would find it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy my pastoral bullshit. To the farmers out there... I hope your spring is drier than last year.


	5. Legend Pets Bunnies (a serious angst fic)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone on the discord was posting about Legend angst that _doesn't_ involve Marin. So here I am with an angst fest (disclaimer: Marin is mentioned briefly). I guarantee this idea has been done before, but so it goes. I'd say this follows very similar lines to the fic immediately preceding it - journey's ended, etc. I'd intended it to be a cynical contrast (legend vs time) but it turns out I wasn't in a mood to write something so cynical; it's just angry.
> 
> Also - this idea was generated from a LW Mochi has been doing on the discord! The first line is a direct quote. Thanks for letting me use it!
> 
> _Warning: Swearing_

_"No, it's not your fault, Legend," he said. "It's not anybody's fault. I promise."_

Even as the words left Hyrule's mouth, Legend knew they weren't true. He came first; his world was Hyrule's birthright. How could its corruption _not_ be his fault?

Even here, in this place, this peaceful, sacred grove, the twisted imagery wouldn't leave his mind. The grass, dry and dead; no, not just dead, _toxic;_ the sky a dull red, pulsing like the last breaths of a dying thing; the monsters, more ruthless and bloodthirsty than any he'd ever encountered, not in his many years and many miles of travel. And to this, a child was born. To this, _Hyrule_ was born, to a world where he had to risk his life not once but _twice_ before he'd even learned what it meant to be young.

Legend scowled around the clearing once more. Colorful flowers sang in the breeze, raising their heads joyfully to the pure blue sky above. Animals frolicked in the meadow, chasing each other in circles.

It disgusted him.

Oh, he knew this obscene peace hadn't come easy. _He'd_ done it, after all, taken on that mantle of the Hero of Legend. How proud he'd been, then; how noble it had felt to be called a _hero_, to wield the Master Sword against _evil_, to know that he had saved the world from certain ruin. How dull it had felt afterwards, knowing that the challenge was _gone_, and so he'd set sail, eager to see the world and know its secrets, until - No. Legend shook his head. He wasn't going to relive _that. _

How young he'd been, before he'd realized that all stories must come to an end.

Legend stood and walked through the clearing until he stood at the foot of the pedestal, that sacred stone where the Master Sword slept, resting peaceful and untroubled until its next master came. Until _Hyrule_ came.

At last, Legend allowed his grief to overtake him. He would not have left them. He _never_ would have left them, this band of brothers who were the first to really _get_ him, to see past that prickly exterior to the man beneath, the one who _cared_ more deeply than he could ever tell them, who loved them with a ferocity to rival the goddesses themselves, who had been hurt too many times to let it show so freely. But in the end, he did.

And Hyrule... the closest he'd ever had to a younger brother. Legend could almost see him there, his shy smile, the way he'd come out of his shell to be _himself_ around them after all, with the tricks and pranks, always ready to lend a kind ear, a creative solution in mind. But they all leave, in the end. And leave him they did, sending him back to that forsaken world alone. Legend would have gone with him, if he could. But fate wasn't always so kind.

"What the _fuck!" _He shouted suddenly, unable to keep it in any longer. "I did everything _right!_ I - I beat Ganon! I saved the Golden Lands! I I did everything you asked, and you still let this happen!" he screamed at the Master Sword, his fists raining down on the hard marble. But the sword remained cold, inert, dare he even say _uncaring._

"You don't give a _damn_ about us! We're just your pawns to use up when it's convenient," he snarled, tears choking his voice. "The old man was right." Legend slumped down and leaned against the cold marble, absently tearing at the grass. What was the point, then? He'd seen the future and it was dark.

_Can't you stop all_ _this? _he heard Hyrule ask him from a lifetime in the future, one where evil had won, and wept. What was the point in saving the world when it was destined to die?

He felt something soft nudge at his hand and looked down to see a rabbit sitting at his hand. A _rabbit, _of all things.

"The fuck?" He snarled and waved his hand to shoo it away. "You think this is some kind of joke? You think I'm just like you because of what happened with the damn crystal? Some soft and weak thing? Fuck off!" Legend huffed and crossed his arms. He glanced back down to see that it was still sitting there, with its stupid little friends peeking out at them from shadows.

"Fine, whatever," he groused, and the animals of the lost woods emerged joyfully from their hiding spots to join him, staring up at Legend with their soft eyes. "We're fucked, you realize that? And we're not getting unfucked soon." 

Legend rose and stomped out of the clearing without casting a second glance to the sword. "We're fucked," he repeated to himself, "but _you_ don't have to be. I'll make sure the world we leave you is damn good one, kid, if it's what I spend the rest of my life doing." At the edge of the clearing he paused and took a deep breath. _Hyrule... _he thought, as if he could cast his thoughts forward into the future. _Don't ever let anyone tell you deserve that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many times can I quote an Antlers album in one fic??? I see... three. Perhaps I should add a bibliography...
> 
> This was a bit slap dash and I took some liberties, but hey, sometimes the idea strikes you. Thanks for reading!


	6. Learn the Song of the Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This was originally a LW that I did and have edited up. Please note that this takes place as during a fight, and that there is language accordingly and brief mentions of blood. Thanks!!
> 
> Note: this was based on the LU comic [Ganon Who?](https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/post/180943553654/you-guys-are-always-talking-about-that-ganon)

There are times in life that we wish we could take back. Times that we made the wrong choice. Said the wrong thing. Hurt someone without meaning to. Times that, despite our best efforts to forget, to forgive ourselves our transgressions, linger in our minds like an oil stain, bubbling up to the surface at _exactly_ the wrong moment. Whether that is a joyous occasion with friends, lying in the dark before sleep, or during a fight, when your life is on the line.

_An inconvenient time such as _right now_, _Sky thought through gritted teeth as he gripped the Master Sword tightly in his right hand. his shield held ready in the other. _"Who's Ganon?__" _He raised it up to deflect an incoming strike and jabbed forward with his sword, feeling some satisfaction as it landed _just right._ The creature let out a screech as it crumpled to the ground, but Sky didn't have time to relish his handiwork. The rest of the mob was upon them, surrounding their group from all sides.

_Who is Ganon, indeed._ He could hear the others shouting commands, warnings, encouragements, but inevitably the only thing that came to his mind right now was embarrassment. _Shame._ He had tried (oh, had he tried!) to reassure himself, to forget this. There were _bound_ to be mishaps and miscommunications when nine people came together, nine people eons apart in culture and background. He knew they were different. He just hadn't realized _how_ different.

_You guys are always talking about that Ganon guy..._ Sky let out a grunt as he felled another moblin and whirled about to stab at one that had tried to sneak up behind him. It shouldn't have gotten that close. _Focus, Sky, focus..._ He breathed in deeply, taking time to claim the brief calm that the moment provided. Sky glanced quickly around the battlefield to see that despite the overwhelming odds, everyone was doing fine. He shouldn't be worried, he reminded himself; they were all skilled warriors, had faced worse odds, and oh, right - _all of them had fought Ganon. _Except himself, apparently.

_And what did that_ _change? _he mused. He felt bitterness blossom in his gut like a sour seed as vivid memories of their reaction came flooding back. His own words had driven a wedge between them, broken the roots of their confidence before it had even had a chance to take hold.

_Oh, you didn't have to fight Ganondorf, huh? He kidnapped my sister._ Wind, scuffing his feet, shrugging his shoulders, yet his eyes were tight with anger. Sky rolled under a swinging club and came up behind the monster. _Ganon? Oh gee, he only invaded the sacred realm, corrupted it with darkness, you know, no biggie._ Always reliable with the snark, Legend. Ah, but the worst was Hyrule, who spoke quietly of a ravaged world, a fell beast and his minions that hunted him endlessly, their breath hot on his heels. He ended that story with a smile, and Sky still felt small at the sight.

Sky jammed a foot into the moblin's stomach and knocked it backwards; it fell on its back with a cry, defenseless.

Time didn't say a word, just looked at him, disapproval writ large upon his face. The others shared their war stories, bonded over their shared hurts as he watched from afar, cringing. Cringing, when he should have been standing tall. Sky's face twisted with anger; the blood rushed in his head and he _leapt_, plunging his sword downward with more force than necessary, stabbing his regrets into the ground along with his enemy.

Had he not proven himself? _Creeping through a deathless realm, the stale air thick in his lungs. Knowing that every wrong step meant failure, and failure condemned Zelda to the dark hands of fate._

Had he not known love? Had he not held it warm in his hands - only to watch as it was torn from him? _But this time, when all of this is over, will you come to wake me up? _

_Too late. Too slow. A weak child. A _failure_ in the eyes of the gods. _These things, he was not.

He had been given a _choice_ to face Demise; he had been offered the opportunity to walk away. To leave Zelda, and by extension the world, to its dark fate. To take the coward's path.

And he had not. He had earned his place among the heroes, and he'd be damned if that was taken away from him. Instead he had raised his sword to the sky, lit aflame with the light of the goddesses, and set it forth against his enemy to see him fall. And to see that enemy, that embodiment of evil, lay a curse to reverberate throughout the ages, his hand stretched far into the future to tangle in all their fates. _All_ of their fates, he realized, an unstoppable path branching from that single moment in time, from that single pointed finger. Their "Ganon," was an extension of his immortal fight; their "Zeldas" the descendants of the woman he loved, heads unbowed. All of them, united in their journey to stand as the light against the darkness. 

Sky withdrew his sword and held it forth against the new enemy before him - only to find himself face-to-face with Time. They stood frozen, Sky's sword stopped just short of a deadly strike, Time's shield poised to deflect it; the chosen versus the fallen, depending on which way the wind flowed. At last, the old man spoke first. "Sky, we've won. The rest of the moblins - " He stopped, eyebrows furrowing in concern. "You're bleeding." Sky blinked, as if returning to himself, and looked down. The shoulder of his tunic had been torn open in a long gash, the edges soaked red. "Ah," he said simply. 

They stood in silence for a moment longer before Time offered him a hand. "Let's get you patched up." The others had already set up a makeshift camp beneath the trees. Sky protested the fairies shoved in his direction; there were far worse injuries than his own. He carefully cleaned the master sword, granting it -_ her_, a voice now lost to the ages - the respect she deserved. _The Blade of Evil's Bane,_ that which united them in their fight. He raised his eyes and looked around the camp, at his new-found family, with their stories and their scars. And each of them, marked by a love for what was right and the courage to fight against that which was not.

The master sword chimed gently in his lap and he hummed in agreement. He would ask the question again. _Who's Ganon? _But this time, he would hear their tales, and they his. And together they would understand the path that fate had wrought for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a comment :)


	7. Picori Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! A few comments before we get started: I saw someone else's fic that featured Ezlo (it was "Companions week" on the server, after all!) and reallllly wanted to do one of my very own. So, apologies for any similarities. Except that this has significantly less angst. Two, I fully recognize that this scenario is canonically impossible (Ezlo goes back to Minish-Land immediately after they defeat Vaati) and I couldn't care less ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

_CLANG CLANG CLANG_

Ezlo normally didn't mind the sounds of the smith's workshop - at least, not anymore. It had certainly taken some time to get used to after he'd started travelling with that silly boy. At first, the relentless banging had driven him _nuts_ and hurt his ears, so he'd requested to be left in another room Link worked. But, well, he couldn't really _do anything_ except hop around, and he had to pretend to be a hat in order to keep Link's grandfather from knowing what he was (an all-powerful mage, thank you!). But there was that time that grandpa took a fancy to this nice new hat Link had left lying about and wore him all day before the kid realized. He was a wonderful man, and Elzo thought they could have had many interesting conversations, but needless to say there were _reasons_ he and Link had established some... boundaries. After that, he stuck to the forge.

Another sharp strike interrupted his thoughts and grated on his nerves. The forge was fine. But the boy had been in here every day for the past _week_, working on the _same_ project, endlessly shaping and re-shaping for hours, deciding it was terrible, starting all over again... Ezlo waved his head around with a squawk. It was _so_ frustrating. Didn't he have hero business to attend to?!

The boy heard him and stopped, one arm raised mid-blow. "Ezlo, is everything okay?"

This was his chance. "No, of course it's not okay! You've been in here _all day_ working on this, and it doesn't look any different!" Link harrumphed and went back to bashing that silly little piece of metal again. Ezlo groaned. "Link, it looks _great_ now. She'll love it."

"It has to be perfect." _CLANG_

"How long have you known this girl? She'll like anything you come up with. Come on, she's been nosing about, asking what you've been working on all week!"

_CLANG CLANG CLANG_

By the elements, the boy was ignoring him! _Deep breaths, deep breaths_, Ezlo told himself. If he got frustrated, they'd never get anywhere. Time to try a different tactic.

"Hmmm... Hey, Link?"

"Yeah?"

"When is this silly festival of yours again? Not that I'm complaining, of course, the humans should honor us Minish, after all, considering all that we've done for them without them even _noticing _-" He was getting off track. "When is it?"

"Tomorrow."

"Mmmmmmhmmmm... And Dot, have you asked her to go yet?"

_CLANG_ "No."

Ezlo would have pinched the bridge of his nose, if he'd had hands. He settled for a steely glare instead.

"Well, my boy, does she _know_ you want to go with her?"

Link paused. _Good!_ "I mean, well, we talked about it at last year's festival."

"Ah, yes, the one where she got _turned to stone._ Mhm. So what you're telling me, my boy, is that she doesn't even know you want to go with her, because you haven't asked." _CLANG. _That might have been a bit harder than necessary. "Do you expect her to be a mind reader?"

"I - No." Link's face was red, and not from the forge. "Link," Ezlo sighed, "are you sure someone _else _hasn't asked her? She is the princess, after all."

Link froze, staring at the small pendant that he'd spent weeks conceptualizing and the entire time leading up to the festival working on. Link's grandpa joked that he'd slept more in the forge than in his own bed! _Good, he's realized how foolish he's being, and now we can GET OUT OF HERE._ Ezlo thought with satisfaction.

"It's not too late to ask her, my boy. Let's go- AGH!" He had to cling tightly to stay on Link's head because the kid had taken off, yelling back to his grandfather to keep an eye on the fires for him. "Link - _Link_ \- you can't just go see her like _this_, you're disgusting -" Ezlo tried, but somehow they were already at the castle.

Link seemed to heed his warning at last and grimaced, smoothing down his tunic and trying to rub out any charcoal stains or burn marks. Ezlo, for his part, looked amazing as always. Luckily the guards were used to Link's antics (it helped to be the hero, after all!) and showed him right to the garden, where Dot, the one person keeping this foolish human kingdom running, was busy tying flowers into a crown.

Link froze at the entrance to the gardens. Ezlo gave him a nudge. "Come on, Link, this girl is your best friend! Just go talk to her!"

"Yes, but I... um..." Link sputtered, wringing his hands. Ezlo scoffed. This was the boy who'd fearlessly taken down _Vaati, _the most deadly sorcerer in centuries, had shrunk to the size of a Minish, had done anything he'd asked at the drop of a hat. Why would he hesitate _now?_

But then Dot caught sight of them from across the garden, and Ezlo saw how her face lit up so brightly, it was like another sun had appeared in the sky. And Link's face was scarlet even as he walked forward to meet her, hands in his pockets.

_Oh._ Ezlo thought as he pretended to be nothing but an ordinary hat (although he was eavesdropping furiously). His heart bloomed with a warm glow. _He likes her. His boy? In _love_?!_

Dot was about to greet Link with a hug like she always did until she saw what a mess he was, covered in grease, sweat, and dirt from the forge. She gave him a laugh instead. "Oh, Link, you're so silly! Were you working with your grandpa? What made you come all the way over here?"

Link scuffed his feet and pulled at his hat (Ezlo let it slide, although he was _not_ pleased.) "Um, I, well..." _Come on, my boy, you can do it!_ Ezlo cheered silently. _Nothing has changed since last year except that you _like_ her! _Zelda watched expectantly, her eyebrows raised. _She WANTS to go with you! ARGHH!_

Were he a mage (and not a cursed hat) he would have given Link a spell to boost his confidence. He was a good kid: smart with books, hard-working, loyal to his grandfather. But a bit too quiet, too reserved, too much in his head for his own good sometimes. Ezlo wanted to swoop down, explain the situation, and help the boy succeed! It was such an easy thing. Just _ask_ _her_ to go to the festival!

But Ezlo knew that this was very different than, say, taking on an evil sorcerer. _This_ required a whole new set of skills, and this was something the boy had to do on his own, without his expert help. Link had to learn this for himself.

So Ezlo stayed silent and listened as Link mustered up the courage to ask the girl he liked to go to the festival with him. One who had been his friend for _years_, since they were kids. But feelings change and make what was once a comfortable, easy situation into something _new_. Into something frightening, something outside of your comfort zone, because the person who you used to see one way now looks a little different in your eyes. Who's to say they feel the same way? _You won't know unless you ask_, Ezlo sighed.

"Dot - Princess Zelda," Link said formally, and looked up to meet her eyes. "Do you want to go to the Picori Festival with me tomorrow?" Ezlo could have squawked to the heavens, he was so proud!

"I do! Absolutely, I do! I'm so glad you asked, I really wanted to go with you!" Dot said with genuine enthusiasm. Link's smile widened. "If you hadn't asked me today I was going to march down to your grandpa's and ask you myself! Father says that's not very ladylike, but I told him that it was _my _decision, and that I wanted to go with you, and - " Dot threw herself at Link and captured him in a hug, ignoring his protests and general state of dirt and filth. Ezlo sent a silent prayer to the heavens as penance for the destruction of her dress, which was undoubtedly now covered in whatever Link had gotten on him. "Oh Link, I'm so happy! I love the Picori festival, and it will be even more fun with you!" Link smiled quietly and hugged her back. Ezlo gave him credit for that.

"Okay, I'll come to your house tomorrow evening."

"But Dot, it's not safe to go around by yourself -"

"Oh nonsense, has that ever stopped me? I'll be there, and be ready." Dot sniffed and looked down at the black ash marring her sparkling dress. She gave a mock laugh as Link gulped. "It's just the newest fashion. The tailors will love it." She clapped her hands with joy. "I'm so excited for tomorrow!"

"Yeah, me too." Ezlo cracked an eye to peer down at the boy, and was delighted to see that he looked more confident than ever before. His heart swelled with pride. He'd done well so far - now they'd just have to see how the festival went.

* * *

"Link! How are you not ready yet?" Ezlo called from the bed as Link paced back and forth in front of the mirror, endlessly smoothing down his hair (one cowlick always managing to escape). "You look quite handsome, my boy, she'll love it!"

"Mmmm..." Link sighed. He wore a new tunic that his grandfather had gotten him, one that was split into four different hues and covered with birds. Ezlo thought it was very fashionable. 

"You look fine, Link, what's the issue? Don't tell me you've changed your mind about leaving me behind." Ezlo, for his part, did _not _want to go on this date, though he fretted about letting the boy out to do this by himself. But no. This was Link's night to shine.

Link gave up on the strand of hair that insisted on sticking straight up. He sighed. "Do you think she'll like it?" he asked, looking at the small piece of jewelry he clutched in his left hand.

"I'm sure she'll love it. Ah! I think that's her now!" Ezlo hopped to the door as Link barreled past him, bounding down the stairs without a goodbye. _I'm not going to be upset, _Ezlo sighed, even though he felt left out. _He's just excited. _

Ezlo could hear murmurs of conversation downstairs and had just resigned himself to a nice nap on Link's bed when suddenly his grandfather came trudging up the stairs. Ezlo instantly went limp; he was just a sad, forgotten hat lying on the floor. Grandpa Smith sighed as he bent down to pick him up.

"Link!" he called as he stomped down the stairs. As they walked into the kitchen, Ezlo could see Link's eyes widen when he realized what his grandfather was holding. "I'll take that, Grandpa!" He hurried over to collect Ezlo.

Grandpa Smith sighed. "Don't leave your things lying around. Besides, there's a bit of a chill in the air. You'll want a hat, anyways." Link nodded. "You kids have fun, now." Grandpa Smith laughed his characteristic booming laugh.

"Yes, sir!" The two chimed, and for a moment it didn't matter that one was royalty and the other the scruffy grandson of the local smith. _They really are just kids_, _despite everything they went through, _Ezlo thought with a pang. They shouldn't have had to see the things they'd seen. Vaati was his battle to fight, and it was a shame they had been dragged into it. His heart was grateful that they had come out in the light on the other side.

* * *

The sun was setting as they walked through the streets of town, the festival winding down. Somehow Dot was still chattering excitedly as she had done the entire evening, Link nodding quietly or putting in a small comment here or there. Dot listened intently every time he spoke, and Ezlo could tell that Link had been hanging on to her every word all night, his left hand in his pocket where he held the tiny pendant.

Finally, it was time to head home. The vendors were packing up and the people were starting to yawn and return to their houses. Despite the successful expulsion of last year's invasion, the people were still wary. No one stayed out after dark much anymore.

"Well, I promised I'd take you home," Link said quietly as he guided Dot up the great stairs towards the castle. Ezlo was on the edge of his seat (Link's head, in this case). Was he going to give her the necklace after all? He'd been wondering all night, and fervently hoped the boy didn't chicken out.

Link paused at the top of the stairs. Dot turned to him, her face a question. Ezlo was taken a back by sight of the two of them standing there, lit up by the fading rays of the sunset. The stars above were just coming into view, the constellations telling the story of the heavens. But Link only had eyes for the soft, smiling girl in front of him, her hair aflame in the dying light.

"Dot," Link started. He cleared his throat. The princess waited, a calm smile on her face. _She _had_ to know what was coming, _Ezlo thought_, but she's always so patient with him. _

"Dot, I - I made this for you." Link swallowed pulled the pendant from his pocket and held it out to her. Ezlo wanted to tell him he didn't have to look so _nervous_, his smith skills were remarkable -

"It's ... beautiful," Dot said quietly, her eyes transfixed on the gleaming necklace. Link had spent hours crafting a tiny, intricate kinstone half, of the kind that young people exchanged to show that they liked one another. Ezlo nearly screamed as the moment of silence stretched on. The tension was palpable.

"Do you... like it?" Link said hesitantly, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Dot said nothing for several long moments, tracing the detailed carvings in the metal with her fingers.

"Link, I ... I do. I accept this," Dot smiled, a soft, genuine smile that lit up her whole face. "I think it's very sweet that you took the time to make this for me. No, don't get me wrong, it's gorgeous!" Dot said hastily, as Link froze beneath Ezlo. "But Link, I would have taken _any_ kinstone from you. I like you, Link, and I have, ever since we were kids."

Link stood absolutely still beneath him, his eyes wide. Ezlo held his breath until Link laughed broke out in a huge smile. Dot reached out and took his left hand, the chain of the necklace tangling their fingers together. The stood together at the top of the stairs and watched as the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, laughing and giggling, until the darkness took over and the soldiers reminded them politely that the princess had to get home. Reluctantly, they let go of each other's hands, waving and smiling until the gates closed.

Ezlo and Link didn't talk on the way back, just proceeded in a quiet, relaxed silence. Ezlo let out a contented sigh and watched the stars pass from above. He had nothing but pride for this wonderful boy. _They grow up so fast..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this silly little tale of young love. Hope you enjoyed reading, and please feel free to leave a comment!


	8. Blacksmith Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four and Dot fluff, because apparently I can't get enough of it. (Plot twist, there's _no such thing_)
> 
> Note: thank you to Nyx and Mads for the idea.

"Hey, watch out! That's hot, make sure you don't -"

"I'm _fine_, Link, you don't have to worry so much! I'll be careful!" Dot let out a light laugh as she pulled the metal from the fire and moved over to the table. Four cringed at every step - she could fall at any time, and that metal was white hot, she clearly wasn't ready for this - 

  
"Link." Dot's gentle voice snapped him back to attention. He looked up to see her staring at him, eyebrows raised. She looked so _different_ in his old smiths's clothes, baggy and marred with burns, her hair tied back safely in a rough bun, a far cry from the baroque finery befitting a princess.

She was beautiful, ash and smoke and all.

"Sorry, Dot, I know, I know. I trust you," Four said, and he did. He knew Dot was capable; this wasn't their first blacksmithing lesson together, but it was the first time he'd let her do the steps without his help. "Let's go," he said, coming to stand close, placing one hand over hers around the hammer.

  
"Gosh, this is really starting to _heat_ up," Dot giggled at her own joke, but paused when Four's face turned bright red. "I mean - let's get going."

  
They continued well into the night, Four carefully guiding Dot's hand, helping her to sculpt her design.

The end result was ... not pretty. A bit uneven, half melted on one side. Dot tossed the kinstone on the counter with a sigh. "It's terrible. I'm sorry, Link, after all that time you spent helping me, it looks awful."

  
"No, I..." Four reached forward and picked up the kinstone, turning it over in his hands, "I like it, Dot. I'm keeping it."

  
"What?! No!" Dot made a half hearted grab for the metal as Four grinned and tried to hold it out of reach. Dot rolled her eyes. "You know I'm taller than you, right?"

  
"I'm keeping it," Four repeated with a soft smile, "because no matter where I am, when I look at it, I'll think of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this quick drabble! Feel free to leave a comment.


	9. Shadow and Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile since I've read the Four Swords manga, so sorry if people are out of character! Thank you to Bambi and Ash on the discord for this wonderful idea :)
> 
> Content note: mentions of the ending of the Four Swords manga (where Shadow effectively dies) but otherwise, no archive warnings apply.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course it is!"

"You sure? 'Cause your voice is saying one thing, but the rest of you is saying otherwise."

Four opened his mouth to respond, paused, and closed it again sharply. Shadow laughed, but it was hollow, tinged with sadness. "You know I'm right. There's no way they'll accept me."

"You're wrong," Four said, suddenly confident. "These people are, well, they're me, from different ages, Shadow. They're _us._ And if I say you're trustworthy, they'll just have to believe me." He put am arm around Shadow's shoulder and grinned reassuringly. The other still looked uncertain.

"I still think -" he started, but they both froze as they heard other voices. Four took a deep breath and willed his heart to calm down and his hands to stop shaking. This was fine. Sure, the others had talked a lot about Dark Link, who was their most hated enemy (after Ganondorf, of course) and was probably responsible for the predicament they were in now, and Shadow himself had done some bad things, but -

Four forced that train of thought to end. None of that mattered. What _did_ matter was that Shadow was back. Shadow, who had died to save him, died making the right choice, was... Back. Here, and _alive_. And if the others didn't accept that, well...

He'd just have to figure it out.

"Come on," he said, taking Shadow's hand and pulling him through the bushes. "Hey, guys? I've got someone for you to meet."

"Do you think it's his Zelda?" He heard someone say before everyone's eyes fell to Shadow. The entire campsite went silent, and Four's blood ran cold. His eyes met Shadow's. Maybe this wasn't a good idea, after all...

"Four, what is this?" Time asked. His voice was calm and controlled, but Four could see how his face had tightened, his eyes narrowed. Clearly, he did not see this man as a friend.

"It's Sha-"

"Okay, I don't know what happens in _your_ world, Four, but the rest of us haven't exactly had great experiences with Dark Link," Warriors interjected, his hand tight on his sword. Four was horrified to see Hyrule nodding beside him, though he avoided Four's desperate attempt at eye contact.

"He's not Dark Link, this is -"

"I never fought a 'Dark Link,'" Twilight interrupted, frowning at Shadow's eyes and black hair, "but on my journey, this is what happened if you gave in to the dark magic -"

"Look, it's clear they don't want me here. I'll just go," Shadow snarled, crossing his arms. Warriors jumped at the sudden movement, his sword already in his hand.

Four quickly maneuvered so that he stood between Shadow and the rest of the group. "If you'd let me speak," he said icily, "then I'd be able to tell you that this is not Dark Link, this is Shadow."

A heavy pause fell over the camp. Finally Wind spoke up. "Okay, but uh... Who is he?"

Four caught Shadow's eye and shook his head imperceptibly. He wasn't ready to talk about the Four Sword. Not yet. Shadow rolled his eyes, and Four could practically hear the stinging rebuke. _You trust them sooo much but you aren't willing to actually tell them anything? Whatever_.

"He's, um," Four stammered, really wishing he had thought this through a little more. "Look, he saved my life, okay? Shadow, he... He risked his life for Hyrule. He may have done some, um, things he regretted, but-" Four tried to ignore the way Shadow winced at that.

"But when the time came, he made the right choice, no matter how much it hurt him. Honestly, I thought he was dead, and now he's not, so could you just listen to me?" The words came out in a rush before he could stop them. Shadow scuffed his feet and laughed.

"I'm not so noble, okay? " But Wind had already bounced up to inspect him with a grin.

"Hi Shadow, I'm Link, but they call me Wind. Nice to meet you?"

"Link?" Shadow choked out with a desperate glance at Four to get this enthusiastic person away from him.

"Yep! We're all Link! Come on, I'll tell you all about it..."

Four let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as Wind led Shadow away to their campsite. Warriors and Hyrule still looked doubtful, but they'd come around.

His gut twisted when he saw Time. Their leader still stood frozen, a dark look on his face. Four knew that look.

Things didn't bode well for Shadow.

* * *

  
Four awoke with a jolt, heart racing. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he must have nodded off in the soft, comforting crackle of the fire. And when he'd last checked, Shadow had been talking to Wild about how much he enjoyed shopping (you learn a little about yourself every day, Four supposed) but now Wild was asleep. And Shadow was gone.

Four jumped to his feet and looked frantically around the campsite. So was Time.

His mind raced with possibilities. Time wouldn't act so rashly; he wouldn't do anything to Shadow without talking to the rest of the group first, right? _Right_? Endless whispers of terrible outcomes were pulling him in every direction.

_Calm down, calm down_, Four told himself as he scanned the campground in a controlled, measured way. His heart leapt as he saw two figures sneaking away into the dark, one tall, one very short. _It's them._

Four crept hurredly after them, his hand falling to the sword at his side. He wasn't sure what he'd actually do if Time was going to hurt Shadow. He supposed, in his heart, that he knew that he'd choose Shadow without question, but could he really face the Hero of Time? He didn't want to consider that possibility; the idea of hurting one of his friends made him feel sick. 

He froze as a branch snapped loudly under his foot. The two figures in front of him moved faster than he'd thought possible, and he could see that the one on the right was definitely Shadow, alive and unharmed. He breathed out a sigh of relief as they approached him in the light.

"Idiot! Don't be so loud, you'll wake everyone up!" Shadow whispered, trying to hide his laughter. Four blinked.

"What - what are you two doing?!" He hissed back. "You and Time? I thought -"

"You thought what?" Time said quietly when Four didn't continue. His eyes widened. "Oh, Farore. You thought I was going to hurt him...?"

"What?!" Shadow said, a little too loudly. Time and Four both shushed him.

"I mean, I didn't _think_ you'd do anything, but when I woke up and he was - what in Hyrule are you two doing, anyway?!"

Time gave a devilish grin that made him look decades younger in the firelight. "Well, I was on watch. Shadow and I were talking, and it had me in mind for a prank."

"A prank?!" Four sputtered. Time shrugged.

"We were going to put pinecones in what's-his-name, the furry one's sleeping bag." Shadow answered confidently.

"Twilight? Why-?"

Time laughed. "Twi could stand to be a little less serious sometimes."

Four realized he was never going to understand and shook his head. After a few moments silence, Time put a hand on Shadow's shoulder.

"Shadow, was it?" He nodded. "The tree we want is right over there. Would you mind?"

"Uh, sure." Shadow said, and went off down the path after one last glance at Four. Four frowned up at Time, who hesitated until Shadow was out of sight.

"I'm sorry you didn't feel that you could trust me," he said finally. Four shook his head quickly.

"It's not that I didn't trust you, old man, it's just..." He sighed. "I saw how you looked at him. That he reminded you of someone. Someone bad from your past. And he's - he's not like that, he -"

"I know." Time said quietly.

"What?" Four said, surprised.

"He does remind me of someone I know," Time mused, staring off into the woods where Shadow had been. "Despite what you may think, it's not dark Link.

"When I was younger, I had a friend. He'd done things, terrible things, and ultimately his actions caused great harm to those around him. He was so young... Both of us were, back then.

"He'd been left behind. Abandoned, forgotten. And someone, a great evil, took advantage of that. Once that influence was gone, he was just... Lonely. And lonliness, well, sometimes it causes us do things we wouldn't normally do, if we were feeling ourselves." Time frowned.

"He needed someone to listen to him, Four, to guide him on the right path. I only wish I could have been there sooner. But your friend Shadow," Time paused and smiled. "Well, it looks like your Zelda was there for him at just the right time to turn him around."

"Dot," Four whispered with a soft smile that turned into a grimace. "Uh, well, he kidnapped her, actually-"

"I know! He told me all about it!" Time said. "It sounds like that led to the best possible outcome. He told me all about the mirror, too."

"Uh!" Four squeaked. "Did he tell you about ... anything else?"

"He did not. He just said that he broke the mirror, leading to his own demise, but that a great evil was defeated." Time eyed him, but did not ask further. "Even after that, he said he was still afraid."

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"Of you. That you would never forgive him."

"Forgive him?" Four said quietly, as Shadow came crunching back up the hill with his hat full of pinecones. "Time, he made mistakes, but there was always a hero inside of him. I always believed in that."

"What're you two talking about?" Shadow grumbled when he saw them whispering to one another. Four grinned and took one end of the hat.

"Just that I'm... I'm really glad you're back. Shall we?" The three of them crept towards the unsuspecting, sleeping Twilight, pinecones in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Sorry their prank is kinda lame - I am not a prank person (I loathe them) so that was probably the hardest part about writing this!


End file.
